#160 Three Tuns Inn, Fazeley, Stafforshire : 1987 to 2014

At the northern end of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal is Fazeley Junction where it joins the Coventry Canal. The small town of Fazeley is a place where we've frequently stopped on our canal trips throughout the years. There are several pubs, but the one we've visited most, mainly because it is the nearest to the canal, is the Three Tuns Inn.

This first visit was on the evening of Wednesday 15th July 1987 as we were heading back home from a two week trip that had taken in Worcester, Stourport, Market Drayton, Middlewich, Stoke and Rugeley. I have no recollection of the interior, but I suspect that it was then, as now, a fairly standard boozer.

Our next visit was on the evening of Thursday 30th May 1996.

The outside of the pub had been completely refurbished with a new hanging sign and the introduction of a satellite dish. It would appear that it was no longer a Mann's pub.

Next visit was on Monday 30th August 1999, a lunchtime stop, but unfortunately the Three Tuns wasn't doing food, so we had a pint and moved on.

No real change to the exterior, but it is interesting to note how the net curtains have been removed in stages throughout the years!

We didn't return again until lunchtime on Sunday 21st August 2005.

Some changes to the outside, the hanging sign has gone as has the satellite dish...but the net curtains have returned!

Next visit was on Sunday 29th August 2010, another lunchtime stop.

The hanging sign has returned as has the satellite dish (in a different position), but the derelict building next door has finally been demolished!

And so, on to our most recent visit which was at lunchtime on Sunday 5th October 2014 when we had a large Sunday Roast lunch.

The outside had been completely redecorated with a new hanging sign, a third satellite dish with pastel green replacing the black...and the net curtains have disappeared again!

The pub has been under new management since December 2011 (see website) and, despite claims of refurbishment, the interior seemed to be pretty much as I remembered it from previous visits - namely, proper pub with no frills - just as I like it!

#159 George & Dragon, Stoke Golding, Leicestershire : 1995 to 2014

Stoke Golding is a village on the Ashby Canal which, until 1995, was virgin territory for us. We were moving our narrowboat Emma Jane back to the Midlands from a 4-year sojourn down south on the Grand Union Canal and found that we had some time in hand - so, up the Ashby Canal we went.

This visit was at lunchtime on Saturday 2nd September 1995. I don't really remember too much about the inside apart from the fact that it was a pleasant village pub.

The Ashby Canal is not a waterway we visit very often, mainly because it is a dead end. However, we were back again nine years later.

This was an evening visit on Saturday 28th August 2004 and, at first glance, the pub doesn't look to have changed at all. On closer inspection you can see that the upstairs windows have been replaced and the signage is subtly different. Inside, I still have no recollection!

We were back along the Ashby Canal another 10 years later for another lunchtime stop at the George & Dragon.

This was on Tuesday 7th October 2014 and this time there have been definitive changes! Firstly, the pub is now run by Church End Brewery which is a small brewer from Nuneaton. As far as I can ascertain, the George & Dragon is their only pub, but they do have a Brewery Tap as well. Externally it has had a complete makeover and, inside, it was a pleasant country/village pub serving good 'pub grub'!

It's also interesting to note that the street light by the front door is still the same, but at least it has been painted regularly!

#158 The Great Stone, Northfield, Birmingham : 1953 to 2014

The Great Stone Inn has stood on this site for centuries and it is named for a huge boulder that used to stand on the corner. This boulder is a glacial erratic, and was dropped by the ice as it retreated in the last ice age! The stone is now housed in the 17^th Century pound, which is adjacent to the pub – this sandstone enclosure was where stray animals were kept until their owners paid a fee to get them back.

© Phyllis Nicklin 1953

This photo (along with two others of the Great Stone) was taken in 1953 by Phyllis Nicklin. She took many pictures of Birmingham through the 1950's and 1960's which can be found as part of University of Birmingham's Chrysalis Project. This is a fascinating archive for those of us who love old pictures of places we know. My only regret is that Phyllis Nicklin wasn't as obsessed with pubs as I am!

So, from a time before I was born, how does the pub look now?

Not very different as you can see apart from the slight name change. This picture was taken in the afternoon of Friday 15th August 2014. The boulder is behind the gate by the red car.

It is many years since I visited The Great Stone for a drink, probably when I was a student. In those days it was an M&B pub, but I see now that it is part of the Stonegate Pub Company.

#157 Bridge End Hotel, Llangollen : 1996 to 2014

Our first ever canal visit to Llangollen was  in 1996. Since beginning canal boating in 1980 I'd been eager to go along the Llangollen Canal to experience the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. This Thomas Telford designed masterpiece is also a World Heritage Site and well worth a visit even if you're not boating. (See Here)

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct © Photo Digital Art 2014

The town of Llangollen is about 5 miles away (by canal) and a beautiful journey it is as the canal hugs the side of the Dee Valley which it has just passed over on the aqueduct.

This picture was taken at lunchtime on Tuesday 27th August 1996 and shows a somewhat typically decorated (for the time) Robinson's pub. I've no recollection of the interior, but I do recall that next door was a taxidermist's shop.

Although we've been back to Llangollen in the intervening years we didn't venture into the Bridge End until our last visit.

This was on the evening of Saturday 19th April 2014 and it had become the Bridge End Hotel with a complete external makeover. Inside it was reasonably well appointed, but nothing was particularly memorable about it. (And the Taxidermist was still next door!)

#156 Gosta Green, Aston, Birmingham : 1986 to 2014

I realise that I've neglected this blog somewhat over the past few months, but I'm back now with a new batch of pubs to add to the list.

First we'll start with a pub that I've not visited too often, but it makes an interesting case study. The first time I visited as part of a canal trip was at lunchtime on Thursday 31st July 1986 (although I'm fairly sure that I'd drunk there before!).

Back then it was called The Pot of Beer and, beyond the fact that it is almost on the Aston University campus I don't recall too much about it.

Our next visit wasn't until lunchtime on Wednesday 6th September 1995 which was plenty of time to have the pub rebranded as the Faculty & Firkin.

Apart from the new signs, the exterior of the pub remained largely the same as before. Being part of the Firkin chain made it a slightly more appealing prospect, but again I don't remember too much about the interior.

Finally we move on to 2014 and another new name for the pub, the Gosta Green.

On this occasion - the afternoon of Friday 6th June 2014 - I didn't go in as I was only in the area on another matter. The Gosta Green is now part of the 'Scream' pub brand which is specifically aimed at students. The added hanging baskets make for a more attractive look to the place.

And finally, here's a Photo Digital Art view of the pub from the other end.

© Photo Digital Art 2014

UPDATE 2 : #027 The Old Wharf, Digbeth : 1998 to 2014

Back in 2011 when I last reported, the Old Wharf had closed with no immediate prospect of re-opening. However, as I was walking to a meeting in Digbeth this week I came across this sight.

It was early afternoon on Wednesday 3rd December 2014 and the new O'Rourkes wasn't open, but I assume that it is now an evening pub.

Further research revealed that O'Rourkes opened as a bar and B&B in July 2014 almost 3 years after the Old Wharf had closed. It is good news to see a pub re-opening, hopefully it will become a success.

UPDATES - A New Trip to Old Haunts - The Warwickshire Ring

When I started this blog I hadn't really thought through how I would present new visits to pubs that I'd already reported on. As detailed in my previous entry, I've recently returned from a canal trip around the Warwickshire Ring. This took us to quite a few pubs we'd not been to for a few years.

We set off from Napton and our first re-visit was to the Two Boats in Long Itchington (#100). As detailed in my previous entry it is THE MOST EXPENSIVE PUB for Blackcurrant & Soda that we found on our trip.

However, it is still a good canal pub and the food was good, as previously. Apparently it has had a refurbishment since our last visit in November 2011, but this wasn't particularly noticeable!

Two Boats, Long Itchington - Saturday 27th September 2014

We passed through Warwick, but we didn't visit any of the pubs previously mentioned and it wasn't until we reached Lowsonford on the Stratford Canal.

The Fleur de Lys was completely unchanged from our last visit in the Spring of 2011 (see #026)

Fleur de Lys, Lowsonford - Monday 29th September 2014
© Photo Digital Art

Next was Wilmcote, a village we also hadn't visited since 2011 and, again, both pubs were completely unchanged.

First was the Mason's Arms, one of the earliest pubs I featured (#006). In all the years we've been going there it has been run by the same landlord...and he's still there! In all respects, the Mason's Arms was the same as previously, including the monster portions of vegetables served with the main meals!

Mason's Arms, Wilmcote - Monday 29th September 2014

The other pub in the village is the Mary Arden Hotel (#061). Again, completely unchanged in three years.

Mary Arden Hotel, Wilmcote - Monday 29th September 2014

Even though it was a Monday night I was very surprised at the lack of people in either pub. In the Mason's Arms there were a few locals in when we arrived, but by the time we left at about 9pm the place was deserted. It was the same story at the Mary Arden and only one customer came in during our time there!

Our next stop was Stratford-upon-Avon which used to be a regular destination on our annual Easter trips. All of the pubs we visited, that I've reviewed before, were completely unchanged!

They were - the Dirty Duck (#033), The Falcon Hotel (#079), The Garrick Inn (#020) and Queen's Head (#082)

Dirty Duck, Stratford-upon-Avon - Tuesday 30th September 2014

Falcon Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon - Tuesday 30th September 2014

Garrick Inn, Stratford-upon-Avon - Tuesday 30th September 2014

Queen's Head, Stratford-upon-Avon - Tuesday 30th September 2014

After leaving Stratford for the long haul up to Birmingham the next pub to report on is the Navigation Inn at Lapworth. This is one of my most photographed pubs that I've reported on several times - #008 and the updates here, here and here!

Navigation Inn, Lapworth - Wednesday 1st October 2014

This was our first actual drinking visit since the pub reopened in 2012 and I can report that the refurbishment has been a success and we spent the whole evening there enjoying the food, drink and atmosphere.

Next day we visited the Wharf Tavern at Hockley Heath (#083) which is under new management and has had a complete makeover since our last visit in 2011.

Wharf Tavern, Hockley Heath - Thursday 2nd October 2014

The much needed refurbishment has been very well done and the Wharf manages to tread the fine line between being a pub and a restaurant very successfully.

Our next stop was at The Horseshoe in Kings Heath (#112) which is a pub I'd not been inside since 2000! We'd passed by on many occasions, but not stopped because of the difficulties in mooring, which haven't improved in the intervening years. However, this time we were running out of light and there was no other viable option!

The Horseshoe, Kings Heath - Thursday 2nd October 2014

After the ritual 'abuse' from the gentlemen smoking outside the pub (often an issue when taking pictures of pubs!), we found that it hasn't really changed much in the years since we last visited. It is still a down market boozer and, as we usually find with this type of pub, it was more friendly than many of the pubs we visit.

Birmingham was our next stop and we visited two old favourites which haven't changed since my last reports in 2012 - the Prince of Wales (#089) and The Shakespeare (#095).

Prince of Wales, Birmingham - Friday 3rd October 2014

The Shakespeare, Birmingham - Friday 3rd October 2014

Next evening we were in Curdworth where we revisited the two pubs in the village - the White Horse (#051) and The Beehive (#087) - neither of which seem to have changed since 2011.

White Horse, Curdworth - Saturday 4th October 2014

The Beehive, Curdworth - Saturday 4th October 2014

The next pub on the list was The Anchor Inn at Hartshill (#022), which also has changed little in the intervening years. The food was great and it was a welcome stop on a grey day!

The Anchor Inn, Hartshill - Monday 6th October 2014

A couple of days later we were in Newbold-on-Avon, nearing the end of our journey. For many years there were three pubs in the village (including our last visit in 2011) - the Barley Mow (#053), The Boat (#078) and the Newbold Crown (#072) - now there are just two, but this isn't as bad news as it sounds.

As we walked from our boat we could see that the Barley Mow was still there, but The Boat which had been next door (always a mystifying situation!) has now become the overspill/function room for the Barley Mow called the Barley Barn.

Barley Mow, Newbold-on-Avon - Wednesday 8th October 2014

Barley Barn (Formerly The Boat)

The Newbold Crown was something of a revelation. On our previous visits we've only ever been into the bar which is at the front of the pub. This time the bar was closed for redecoration so we went into the lounge which was very pleasant. This was a bit of a surprise as I'd got the impression that the Newbold Crown was a bit of an 'estate' pub, but the lounge was more like being in an older village pub!

Newbold Crown - Wednesday 8th October 2014

Our final pub, which we'd last visited in 2011, was the Old Royal Oak at Hillmorton (#077). As it is a 'Hungy Horse' pub I wasn't expecting to find any changes and I wasn't disappointed in that respect!

Old Royal Oak, Hillmorton - Thursday 9th October 2014
© Photo Digital Art

It is still in a great setting and, for a lunchtime stop, it is perfect for a bite to eat and a few pints.

That's all the pubs I've previously featured, but we did go into plenty more that I will add to this blog over the coming months.